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2020 Macadoodle's Mailbag: 20th Edition

Every week, PowerMizzou.com publisher Gabe DeArmond answers questions from Tiger fans in the mailbag. This format allows for a more expansive answer than a message board post. Keep your eye out each week to submit your question for the mailbag or send them to powermizzou@gmail.com. On to this week's inquiries.

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Rasmus Peterson asks:  What's the one thing you are most proud of accomplishing during your time in quarantine?What's one goal that you are setting for yourself now coming out of quarantine?What's one permanent change or impact that you think the pandemic will have on college sports?

GD: I think I'm most proud that I'm still married. I mean, I say that kind of jokingly, but no matter how much you love your spouse or your kids or they love you, all day every day with nowhere else to go is a lot. And I think we all have bad days right now. I know I've had a few. It's nobody's fault. Some days are just worse right now. I remember reading a couple months ago on the first day quarantines ended in China there were 88 divorce filings. Seriously, if you make it through this without any serious issues, you're in it for the long haul. The other thing I'm proud of is that I've continued to exercise and haven't really changed my diet significantly. Probably easier for me than most because this truly hasn't changed my daily routine that much outside of the fact that there are now other people in the house and I work out at home rather than at the gym.

As far as setting goals, I'm really going to try to appreciate the little things more. I'm not gonna complain about volunteering at the swim meet or covering a game that kicks off at 7 p.m. or driving two hours for a gathering I don't really want to attend. I wonder if people will come out of this not necessarily nicer, but with more of an appreciation for the freedoms we have and the lives we live. I hope I do.

As far as college sports, man, I'd love to give you an answer. But I don't know. Because nobody knows what any of this is going to look like when we come out the other side. There are so so many questions right now and not a single one of us has any answers. The impact it should have is that salaries get a little more under control. But it remains to be seen if that will happen.

christianmizzouguy asks: Could anyone sustain the level of media attention MJ had for the 8 years between 91-98? Could anyone else sustain that level of success with that much coverage? Do you think he wins 7 if they don't blow it up in 99 or 8 if his dad isn't murdered and he plays the two gap years? Does LeBron have anywhere near the attention of MJ after the first 3 peat and is 8 finals in a row in any way comparable to MJs 8 year run?

GD: In a lot of ways, everyone is MJ now. With social media and everyone having a cell phone and a camera, nothing happens we don't know about. Hell, dudes get drafted and six hours later there are stories about things they tweeted when they were 14. I think that's the most remarkable thing about LeBron James. He's grown up and become the most famous athlete on the planet in the social media age and he's never really made a big mistake. I mean, he's taken some stances some people don't like or agree with, but they aren't wrong. He hasn't been caught on camera having an affair or tweeted hate speech or anything like that. He's got a clean image. And in this day and age, that ain't easy. The next guy we're probably going to figure out if he can do that is Patrick Mahomes. He's the next guy who everybody will know who he is and he'll endorse everything and he'll be on TV during every sporting event during every commercial break.

But it would be interesting to see if Jordan played in this era if he'd be the same. I mean, the dude liked to gamble, he liked to go out, there were plenty of rumors of extracurricular activities. But we never saw them and never had proof. If it happened now, maybe we'd have proof and MJ wouldn't be quite the same as he was then. I also think in the last 25 years media coverage has gotten a lot less hero worshipy and a lot more gotcha. There's a lot of media that can't wait to catch someone famous doing something wrong. I'm not sure that was the case back then.

As far as the last two questions, the unknown is part of what makes it fun. The one thing we never saw Jordan do is lose in the finals. That's what made him so mythical. Would the Bulls have beaten the Rockets in 94 and 95? I don't know. It would have been the best team they played in the finals. But Jordan always found a way. In the last seven years of his career he lost exactly one playoff series and that happened when he was two months into his comeback and just wasn't the same player. I'm not super interested in whether LeBron or MJ is the best player ever. I don't care. They're both great, they're both on the all time NBA starting five and I got to see both of them play. I'm good with that.

mexicojoe asks: 4 non conference games in basketball you would schedule and location of the game(s)

GD: With Illinois and Kansas on the schedule, I'm pretty happy with that. You know there are going to be another three or four high major games every year. I'm not super picky about which ones they are. I liked the series they had with Indiana and Iowa. I'd liked to cover a game at Cameron Indoor so I'd be cool with Duke being on the schedule at some point. A home and home with Michigan State would be fun. And, yes, you'd like Missouri to get to a point where you felt better about its chances in those games before you schedule them, but anything can happen on one night and just playing those games boosts your resume in hoops.

Macadoodle's provides fine wine, beer and spirits in Pineville, Branson, Joplin, Springfield, North Springfield, Columbia and Republic, Missouri plus Springdale, Arkansas. Click the logo above to find the location closest to you today.

wehrli_22 asks: When comparing coaching success in the past, there was an often used saying ... 'he could beat you with his players, turn around and beat you with your players.' The obvious insinuation that the coach had that much talent, the players were interchangeable. This adage was often used to describe the likes of Bear Bryant, Woody Hayes, Bobby Bowden and even Dan Devine.Do you think the same applies to any of today's college coaches? Who has the system or coaching talent to effectively adapt game planning to the talent level of his players and still win?

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